AARP Dental Insurance Plan

Dental expenses do not come cheap. Even a minor cleaning or filling procedure costs you several hundred dollars. In the absence of a good dental insurance plan, paying for these expenses becomes very difficult. As a result, many people shy away from seeking dental treatments and wait till their dental health deteriorates. Old people face maximum dental issues and unfortunately have limited means to cover these expenses. However, there are certain dental insurance plans which are devised considering the specific needs of elderly. AARP dental insurance plan is one such plan which takes care of dental treatments of senior people.

What is AARP Dental Insurance Plan

AARP stands for American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Anyone who is above 50 years of age can become a member of this association. AARP dental insurance plan is funded by any of the three insurance companies, Delta Dental Insurance Company, Dentegra Insurance Company, Dentegra Insurance Company of New England depending upon your state of residence. By enrolling for this plan, members also qualify for PPO plan from Delta. Although, AARP mostly offers cheap dental insurance, AARP dental insurance rates vary for each state. The member may also enroll his spouse, or dependent children under 26 years of age. Group insurance is also provided for families. You may also avail the benefits of individual dental insurance plans or two party coverage plan. AARP dental insurance plan offers maximum coverage for most dental treatments and also provides high standard dental treatments.

What Does AARP Dental Insurance Plan Cover

Although, you become eligible for the coverage immediately after you enroll for the insurance plan, it is not until a year that you can avail full benefits of the plan. There is a waiting period of one year after which members can get an AARP dental insurance coverage on all preventive and corrective dental procedures. However, the expanse of coverage would depend upon the particular plan you opt for. During the first 12 months you can avail the following services at any of the registered dentist's office located in their network or outside the network. Given below is a list of dental procedures covered by AARP.

• Diagnostic and preventive care
• Periodontal maintenance
• Cleanings
• Denture repair
• Rebase and relining
• Basic restorative procedure (fillings)
• Oral surgery
• Endodontics (root canals)

After one year, you can also avail the following procedures in addition to those listed above.

• Periodontics
• Crown
• Cast restorations
• Prosthodontics (dentures)
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction

Benefits of AARP Dental Insurance Plan

If you go through any of the AARP dental insurance reviews, you will come to know about the types of plans and benefits of each plan covered under AARP dental insurance. There are basically two types of AARP dental plans for seniors, plan A and plan B. An additional one is provided by the parent dental insurance company such as Delta's PPO dental plan. In plan A you get 100% coverage on diagnostic and preventative dental procedures during the first 12 months, while plan B offers only 80% coverage. Both plan A and B provide an 80% coverage on the remaining procedures mentioned in the above list. After 12 months, you get additional 50% coverage on all the procedures listed above (refer to the second list).

There are in all 67,000 dental locations covered in the AARP network. If you choose to avail the services of a dentist who is not included in the network, you might have to pay an extra premium. Same applies for services from a dentist listed as premier.

You can apply for AARP dental insurance plan online as well. Thus, this is a hassle-free plan which gives you maximum benefit during old age.